If you've been following this blog, you know that being ExtraHyperActive, I love all types of boards sports : snowboarding, surfing, longboarding, windsurfing, skimboarding... You also know that a few years ago I started doing kiteboarding and kite landboarding. All these boardsports are extremely fun, and offer something for everyone. But I never stop looking for more ways to challenge myself, have fun, and create unforgettable experiences !

Recently I came came across a pretty awesome toy that can be used with any board, and more !

Kitewing (aka Skimbat) is a wing shaped kite. Many people call it “the wing” for short, just because of its shape.

With warm sunny days and soft snow, spring is the best time of the year to learn how to ski or snowboard. Skiing in the springtime is an altered state. Down jackets and bulky bibs give way to vests, t-shirts and shorts. Ski areas get packed with more sun soakers that with actual skiers/boarders. Skiing becomes a pursuit of pleasure rather than a test of technique.

But it's not just the weather that makes this time of the year perfect for skiing/snowboarding. Here are a few reasons to consider spring the time to start a new hobby :

Paddle your way down the mountain with this snow stick from Kahuna Creations. It has a fully adjustable design to accommodate quick changes on the slopes, and the aluminum shaft promises extra durability.

In my previous post, I wrote about Kahuna Creations' new addition to their land paddle family - Snow Stick Snowboard Paddle.

In my previous post, I wrote about Kahuna Creations' new addition to their land paddle family - Snow Stick Snowboard Paddle

While the main idea behind the snow stick was to help riders easily paddle through the flats and carve it up all over the mountain, in my opinion, the snow paddle would be a better fit for beginner snowboarders.

While there are many cool products that help kids learn snowboarding ( like this popular safety harness from Lucky Bums ), Kahuna Creations' snow paddle is great for beginner riders of older age who're just learning the ropes.

My son is 10 y.o., and he only took 2 private snowboarding lessons before. But with the snow paddle, he was up, and riding in no time !

Using Kahuna Creations snow stick is a great way for beginners to learn how to snowboard, build confidence, and feel safe !

But if you are not a beginner, do you really need a paddle?

This is what Kahuna's marketing manager Cory McBride says about the snow stick for more advanced riders : "It's the whole paddleboard wave mentality. With the Kahuna Snow Stick, you get seriously deep carves. The stick lets you really crank on your turns till you're almost laying flat in the snow - it emphasizes your carving power by letting you push harder on your turns without losing control."

And for those of you how are hard core paddleboarders - you can easily turn your snowboard into a snow-slashing paddleboard !!

In my previous post "Introduce Your Kids To The Joy Of Skiing", I wrote how many parents turn their kids off from learning how to ski/snowboard by being too pushy or over-enthusiastic. I mentioned that sometimes they forget that while it is important to learn a skill, it's even more important to make it fun and enjoyable experience.

The point of being on the mountain at a young age is about being in an outdoor environment, wearing ski gear, and getting comfortable with sliding on snow.

While I want to make sure that whenever my son learns something new, he's having fun, I also want to ensure he learns how to do it right from the start.

If you are an avid backcountry traveller, you know that you must have "the standard " avalanche gear: beacon, probe and a shovel. But unfortunately, there are lots of people who think that having the right gear is all they need to venture beyond ski area boundaries. But just like the great American writer Mark Twain once said, "Knowledge without experience is just information".

If you've been following my blog, you know that since recently I've been pretty obsessed with land paddling.

I think it's an awesome, fun and very effective cardio and full body workout. And it wouldn't be possible without Kahuna Big Stick invented by Kahuna Creations, a Hawaiian company famous for its longboards, surfboards, and of course, the Land Paddle.

But recently they came up with a new "invention" - Kahuna Creations Snow Stick

From Kahuna Creations website :

The Kahuna Snow Grip is used for snowboarding, and can be popped on any land paddling Kahuna Stick you already have, making it a functional, interchangeable piece of year-roundequipment.

When the mountain levels out, snowboarders used to have to hop, jump, or kick off a binding just to get through the flat sections. Kahuna Snow Stick riders easily paddle through the flats and carve it up all over the mountain.

This is amazing for advanced snowboarders that want deeper carves. A Snow Stick also brings a world of entirely new possibilities in terrain parks.

This is another completely original sport by Kahuna Creations, but honestly, we can’t figure out why it hasn’t been done before. We worked with incredible engineers to create the perfect Snow Grip even in the worst snow conditions. Any snowboarder, new or advanced can appreciate the need for a Kahuna Snow Stick.

Even though we didn't have a chance to try out the Snow Grip, we had tons of fun using our Kahuna Haka with snowskates ! Read our full story here...

You can have a lot of fun with sails and kites, you can use 'em with all types of boards and terrain, all year round. I thought that that most creative way of using a kite was with a bike. But recently I saw another cool "sport" that is growing in popularity in places where winter prevails most of the year ( Canada, US Midwest, Finland...) .

Part snowboard/part windsurfer, Snowfer extends windsurfing seasons, and makes snowboarding so much fun without mountains and chairlifts.

Move aside skiing and snowboarding, a new and exciting winter sport is coming to the ski slopes around the country - snowbiking !

When I heard about snowbiking at Hoodoo Ski area in Oregon, I knew I'd have to give it a try ! It just looked so much fun ! It's like mountain biking in winter. And even though Hoodoo ski area is just a few hours away from Seattle, I just couldn't find time to make it down there. And my first introduction to snowbiking ( or ski-biking as it's sometimes called ) happend at Vail resort in Colorado.

A couple years, Kahuna Creations company, the brainchild of land paddling, and the innovator of land paddles, came out with their new game changing tool for snowboarding - Kahuna Creations Snow Stick !

"Discovering" snowskating for myself was the best part of this winter. Snowskating is about having fun, challenging yourself in a new way, being affordable, and getting away from the elitism of snowboarding.

Snowskating is growing in popularity, and it seems that more people are looking for new ways to goof around on snow.

But being a relativity "new snowsport", it's little known to general public. Even the leading snowskate manufacturing companies like Burton and Ambition don't seem to agree on the names for their inventions.

Her are two videos that will give you a better understanding the difference between snowdecks and bi-level snowskates:

Who doesn't want to see his child happy ? We all want the same things for our kids. We want them to grow up to love and be loved, to follow their dreams, to find success. Mostly, though, we want them to be happy.

For me, there is no better reward than watching my kid's eyes shining from the joy of skiing ! Skiing is a great sport that requires confidence, skills, desire, lessons, practice and proper judgement.

We all know first impressions count and nowhere is that more important than on the snowfield. If your child's first memory of skiing is being wet, cold, lonely and miserable, it will leave an indelible impression and could turn them off the sport for life.

As you might know , Leavenworth is one of best adventure travel destinations in Washington state all year round ! But I'd say that winter time is my all-time favorite to visit this little adventure hub.

While many people flock to this Bavarian theme town to see holiday lights, enjoy beautiful scenery, and try (somewhat ) "authentic" Bavarian food, others come here for outdoor adventures and activities. And Leavenworth has a lot to offer !

The concrete and steel scaffolding of cities has long provided a playground for skateboarders, parkourists, stunt cyclists, and now skiers.

The hardcore Finnish free-ski stylists of the group Nipwitz have stormed the urban landscapes of Northern and Eastern Europe and made them into an insane and fabulous laboratory for their particular brand of renegade sport.

Their most recent video shows a trip that they made to Russia’s Murmansk Oblast, a bizarre and contradictory universe of pristine mountains and industrial wasteland beyond the Arctic Circle.

“One of the first things we noticed here,” says one of the group in idiosyncratic English, “was the surreal contrast between the beautiful Arctic nature and the rottening cityscapes that have suffered from decades of neglection.” Some areas are so polluted that trees can no longer grow there.

In the remote city of Kandalaksha, the Nipwitz crew soars through windows of abandoned buildings, turns high concrete walls into half-pipes, slides down snow-packed staircases, survives an encounter with a knife-wielding man in an army uniform, and gives bored local teenagers something to talk about for many years to come.

That's why mountainboarding is a great alternative to snowboarding ! In my previous post, I mentioned several ski resorts that allowed mountainboarding during summer on their property.

But a great thing about mountain boarding is that you can do it anywhere there is a hill ! Dirt, grass, pavement, bike trail, a skateboard park... anywhere will work ! Where's there's a hill there's a way to enjoy the thrill of mountain boarding.

In South King County, a great place to carve a few turns is Celebration Park in Federal Way.

BPA trail that starts in the park is a 3.6 mile paved path with many hills of various sizes. You can ride on the pavement, or you can find a few dirt trails. One of the soccer fields in the park offers small grassy hills that are fun to ride on for your little ones.

Another great option is to combine hiking and mountain boarding ! Many wide logging roads or mountain biking single tracks ( like the 3.7-mile Preston Railroad Trail on Tiger Mountain ) will work great for an easy hike and a fast and fun ride down.

If walking uphill is not your thing, how about 'horse boarding' ? Check out this video to see what its like to be towed behind a horse at 35 miles per hour.

Who said animals don't love action sports ? Meet Tillman. He surfs, skates, skimboards, and snowboards ! He's the coolest dog in the world ! In 2010 the 60-pound pug set the world record for the Fastest Skateboarding Dog.

As somebody who loves to play, always happy, and doesn't talk much, he would be a perfect buddy for me to hit the beach in the summer and the slopes in winter ! Just hope he loves hot dogs and beer :)

For the past 4 years I've been reading and following many people who decided to dedicate their lives to pursue their dreams. Their stories are a true inspiration for me. Every time I read or watch such a story, I wish I could find that courage, passion, and dedication in me.

Recently, I came across a beautiful video about a group of friends traveling in tiny RV-style hand built home visiting the great ski areas across North America. They took the house all over the western United States and into Canada, over 9000 miles.
Below is an amazing video that shows how the project started and how the timy house was built.

Last year, on my Bucket List I added " Buy a trailer and live for at least 2 months as a "digital nomad".
This video inspired me to start a new category "Trailer/Campers/Simple Living" where I will post stories and pictures of people who decided to challenge norms, do what they love in the outdoors, and enjoy life !